Clutch Problems

Katgoddess

The clutch pedal on my car travels to the floor with very little resistance, which according to my Haynes Manual is bad. This is my first car, so I've only just realised this after driving someone elses over the weekend with a better clutch.

How much do you reckon it will cost to get fixed? I don't know exactly whats wrong with it, the haynes manual gives a few possibilites. I don't live within a reasonable distance to a Mr Clutch. Also seeing as I can still drive the car at the moment, how long will it last before breaking down?

tonys_3

The amount of rersistance is not so important and varies from car to car.
How far the clutch travels before taking up the drive is more important. The
further it travels usually reflects more wear, and the greater liklihood of
the clutch failing. When it happens is difficult to predict since it often depends
on how you drive: how often you change gear: how often/how long you hold
the clutch in gear: whether you have to do lots of hill starts: how many miles
you do etc.

The price to fix will depend on what the problem is if any, where you live, and
whether you go to a reputable garage or not. You could ring round afew garages asking how much they charge to replace a clutch, as well as
ringing Mr Clutch to get an idea of cost. Then when you need to change
the clutch, play one garage off against another [the other garage only cost
£x] and see if they will do it for less.

rrockettman

Hi.
Our cars are totally different. The Nissan has a very light clutch and the Subaru is much harder.
When getting back in the Nissan it feels very strange.
As long as you can change gear without a problem and the clutch doesn't slip, there is not a problem. No need to change it.

wazza

as said above it does not matter how the pedal feels when you press it. the important part is where the pedal is when you take up drive. it's called the biting point where you can do clutch control. in majority of cars the biting point is half way of the travel. naturally as time goes by your clutch will wear out and you will find the biting point is above the half way. most cars have adjustments which takes up the wear and brings the biting point down to half way.

the only time when you should change the clutch is if all the adjustment has been used, or you have difficulty selecting gears or it crunches when u select the gears, and also if the clutch slips. clutchslip is where if you are going up a hill and you press the accelerator, the engine speeds up but the car speed doesn't.

be aware of the above before you visit a garage. they might say u need a new clutch just to drum up more business.